


Follow the Script

by Artemis_Egeria



Series: I Will See You Where the Shadow Ends [3]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, WandaVision (TV)
Genre: Abandoned Work - Unfinished and Discontinued, F/M, Headcanon, I actually prefer canon to this idea, I do not have enough conviction in the idea to continue against canon, This has been rendered obsolete, WandaVision spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-25
Updated: 2021-01-25
Packaged: 2021-03-17 09:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,012
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28971930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Artemis_Egeria/pseuds/Artemis_Egeria
Summary: How did Wanda and Vision come to be living in this sitcom world?
Relationships: Wanda Maximoff/Vision
Series: I Will See You Where the Shadow Ends [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2195511
Comments: 3
Kudos: 25





	Follow the Script

**Author's Note:**

> Most of my early WandaVision theories are already dead and buried. But this one has been playing in my mind since the show actually started. I'm prepared to pivot on almost anything, as long as there's a happy outcome.

Wanda entered her small, rented apartment. She was grateful for its location above a convenient mart. She was able to get a few groceries for the next few days and avoid the rest of the world. It also meant that she was exposed to fewer people who might recognize her. She had a few neighbors who were suspicious, but she simply used her powers minimally to turn their awareness away from her.

She wondered yet again why she had chosen the town outside the former Avengers’ compound. Bucky and Sam had offered her a place, but she could not bear the thought of being among those who would try to make her feel better. But she also couldn’t force herself to leave the place where she had found unexpected happiness.

So her usual thoughts played on a continuous loop. The remaining hours in the day oozed by like molasses. She sat on the couch, watching the sun set until the room was engulfed in darkness. She didn’t even bother moving to the bedroom to sleep. Instead, she dozed on and off throughout the night exactly where she had sat all day.

The next morning began in much the same way. She came to consciousness and drifted through the first few hours. She finally willed herself to eat something before she returned to the couch.

When the doorbell rang, Wanda jumped. No one ever came to her home. She prepared herself to ignore it and will her pursuer away.

But it was not to be. Whoever was outside continued to press on the doorbell with all their strength. Wanda finally stood, pulling her cardigan more tightly around her. She opened the door just a crack.

“Wanda Maximoff. I’m Monica Rambeau, and I have to ask you to come with me.”

Wanda could only shake her head. The woman who called herself Monica bore the look of an official government agent. She was not going back. She was done with Avenging. She was done with trying to save the world. She was done with serving a government that didn’t represent her.

“I’m sorry, but I can’t take no for an answer.”

Wanda felt the red flow through her to her fingers. She didn’t want to fight. She didn’t want to hurt this woman who was only doing her job. But she would make them leave her alone.

Or so she thought. Until Monica’s entire body began to glow. “Let’s not fight, Wanda.”

Wanda backed down. She thought a threat would be enough to scare her away, but she was not prepared for a full-scale battle in a building full of people. “Okay.”

“I’ll give you a minute if you need to get anything.”

“No.” She grabbed her keys and followed Monica out. Two other agents were standing nearby, hands on their guns.

Monica opened the back door of a dark SUV for Wanda. She slid in opposite her while the other two agents climbed in the front.

The ride was largely silent. Wanda did not know where they were going. She supposed she could attempt to read their minds, but she didn’t have the energy.

Sometime later the SUV pulled to a stop. Monica ushered her out. Wanda stood in front of a green sign welcoming her to Westview. The sign bore evidence of being run down and neglected. The paint was cracked, and it had clearly never been cleaned.

“Follow me.” Monica led the way while the other agents flanked Wanda. She finally noticed that they were all wearing the same symbol, a sword standing up within a circle. She couldn’t recall seeing such a symbol before during her time with the Avengers or in the RAFT. She noted it for further reference.

They all walked into the townhall. Monica headed toward an elevator. The ride to the basement was a tense affair, the four of them crowded together. When the doors opened, Wanda found herself in a large empty room. The only feature that stood out to her was a curtain blocking off one corner of the room.

Two people stood to greet her. One was a tall brunette woman with loose curls, and the other was a shorter man with thick dark hair. The man held out his hand to Wanda, but she only clasped her hands together within her sleeves. The man shook it off and smiled. “Welcome, Ms. Maximoff. I have been longing to meet you for years.” The way he said it made her skin crawl.

“Well, now you’ve met me. What do you want?”

“It’s not just what I want. I believe we can both give each other what we want.”

“No one can give me what I want. So tell me why you brought me here and let me go.”

“Now, now. Don’t be so hasty, Ms. Maximoff. Listen to my full proposal first. I believe you will be surprised what I have to offer you.”

Wanda tried to suppress her shudder. This man was speaking just like the Hydra agents, disguised as SHIELD, who had approached her and Pietro during a protest. “I’m not interested.”

“Very well, then. I see we will have problems until I prove myself. Let’s just get down to brass tacks.”

“I need your skills, and you need your family.”

Wanda was momentarily struck silent. How could he even hope to offer what she wanted? He smirked slightly at her reaction and continued. “Let me show you.” He led the group through the room and another door.

Beyond the room, the space was divided into many smaller sections. It took her a moment to realize they were more like cells, with bars pounded into the floor. Each cell contained a huddled body. She was horrified when she realized they all also wore the collars that she had worn in the RAFT. Wanda’s powers automatically started flowing again at her horror until Monica gave her a look. She forced herself to calm down. What ever was going on, she needed to learn more.

One woman with limp brown hair looked up at Wanda. A flash of recognition shone in her eyes, though she did not look familiar to Wanda. Wanda hurriedly looked away. The pain that surrounded this space was pressing on her.

They finally reached the end of the hallway and another elevator. They all entered, the ride even more crowded and unpleasant.

The man who seemed to be in charge led them out a set of doors. The open air shocked Wanda’s senses after the darkness within. She was able to breathe a little easier as they walked away from the prisoners.

There was not a person in sight in the entire town. There was no one in the town square. They made it to the residential section of the town, and the houses all looked empty. There were no lights, no sounds.

“What happened here? This is all wrong.”

“Yes, it’s a sad sign of the times.” The man did not sound sad at all. “This town lost a particularly high percentage of its population after the Snap. Almost eighty percent. Most of the rest left after that. It has stayed empty until we found it. But we will make it all right again.”

The light of his vision shone in his eyes. But it gave Wanda no comfort. She did not believe his definition of “right” was the same as hers.

When they reached the end of the main street, they immediately turned around and headed back to the town hall. They returned to the large empty room with the single curtain. “Now that you have seen the sad state of the town, I’m prepared to tell you how we can correct it.”

Wanda waited. “I’m sure you remember the people we passed.” Wanda refused to dignify that comment with a response. “We’ve been having an issue controlling them. It requires us to resort to…regrettable measures to keep them detained. That is where you come in.”

Wanda could take no more of this. “I’m not helping you trap these people. I don’t know what they ever did to you, but nothing could justify that.” She remembered her own time in the RAFT vividly. How could she contribute to this project?

The man sighed. “I feared you would say that. You do have a reputation for being difficult.” She bristled. “President Ross thought you needed the proper incentive to behave.”

With that he pressed a remote that opened the curtain, revealing a body laid out on a table. She gasped and automatically moved closer when she recognized Vision’s body. It was as still and gray as the day Thanos had killed him. But the hole in his head had been repaired, and a yellow stone replaced the Mind Stone. She tried to touch him, but a forcefield activated that blocked her.

She whirled on the S.W.O.R.D. agents. “How?”

The man smiled, and Wanda suppressed a shudder again. “We were fortunate beneficiaries of the chaos in Wakanda immediately after the battle with Thanos. With the royal family in disarray, there were some security lapses early on. A few things were overlooked. One of our founders recognized how important this particular artifact could be.”

“He’s a person,” Wanda growled. “How could you leave him like that?” Part of her did question why none of the other remaining Avengers had discovered these lapses before this.

“Just so. And as you’ll see, he is perfectly unharmed.”

“But he’s not well.” The gray skin mocked her. It was so different from the warm crimson that had lit up her world during their time together.

“Would you have preferred us to revive him amid the chaos of the last five years? When his friends abandoned him and the love of his life was dead?”

Wanda faltered. Maybe he did have a point. Not about imprisoning people or Vision being an “artifact,” but maybe about letting Vision rest through this.

He pointed at a machine that she had not previously noticed. There were lines bouncing up and down on the screen. She followed the wires to where they were connected to electrodes placed on Vision’s head. “We believe that we can revive him at any time.”

Wanda understood now. This was what they could offer her. They had Vision, and they would have their price to bring him back to her. She faced the man directly. Monica and the other woman watched on impassively, but the other two S.W.O.R.D. agents quailed under the weight of her stare. “What do you want me to do?” She made her voice as firm and cold as she could.

“Nothing too horrible. We simply wish you to create a new reality, a better reality. We want you to make these people your neighbors and friends. They will live in peace here, as will you. No pain, no troubles.”

Wanda was familiar with great promises from people in a dark room. “And if I refuse?”

“That would be most unfortunate.” He put his hand into his pocket, drawing out a small object. He called up the model of the Mind Stone that Shuri had made. “This precious little thing holds all of dear Vision’s memories and the model for his consciousness. But accidents do happen.” He brought it to the very tips of his fingers. “The shock of your refusal might cause me to drop it.”

The model teetered toward the floor. “Don’t!” Wanda took a breath when he cradled it more carefully.

“I take that as a yes, then. Once the new reality is in place, Vision can join you, still perfectly unharmed.”

“Why do you need me to do this?”

“Well, I suppose it would not be a problem to tell you now that you know the consequences of noncompliance.” His face took on an air of reminiscence as he steepled his fingers together. “You see, it was discovered that a number of people had gained strange new abilities after half the world disappeared. Some of those powers were more dangerous than others. These are the people with the most dangerous powers of all. Much like yours, Ms. Maximoff.”

“When you returned to this world, we bided our time. We thought you would rejoin the Avengers, and we would be able to contact you through them. But then you disappeared off the radar. We had no idea that you had remained so close to your old home. With a few helpful tips, we finally discovered your location. And here we are.”

“And what happens if I try my hardest and fail? I’ve never attempted mental manipulation on this scale. Vision shouldn’t be punished for my mistakes.”

He held out a tablet toward her. “That is why we are providing every possible means to assure your success.” She flipped through the pages. They contained names, dates, and bits of history. “This is a script for you to use in developing your world. We have left some room for flexibility, particularly in your own story. Do what feels right.” Wanda couldn’t contain a harsh, mirthless laugh. Nothing about this was right. “The paramount thing is to prevent the residents from realizing what is going on.”

“You didn’t answer my original question,” she said weakly.

“Ah, what happens to Vision. We have faith in you. Ms. Maximoff. That is why we went to so much trouble to obtain him and his consciousness. Should you fail, for any reason, should any of the residents wake up to the truth, every trace of his mind and body will be destroyed.”

“Understood.” She was now just as trapped as any of the prisoners here. She was the only thing that stood between Vision and complete oblivion. What she was about to do was wrong and a betrayal of everything she believed in. But Vision deserved to live. And she deserved her happiness with him. “I’ll do it.” She felt sick to her stomach, but her choice was made.

“Good. Good. Monica will show you to your new home while we prepare the other residents for their new lives. I trust we will have no problems with you?”

She shook her head. “No, I’ll do exactly what you want.” The man nodded.

The group separated and Wanda was left alone with Monica. She was silent as they walked toward the SUV they had arrived in. To relieve the awkwardness of the ride, she continued to study the script in more detail.

It was not until they reached an old-timey car outside Westview and got out of the car that Monica finally spoke. “Sorry about that. The car is bugged. I’m not really with S.W.O.R.D.”

“What?”

“I infiltrated them with a few others to stop them.”

“Well, what are you waiting for?”

“We don’t have a solid plan yet. We just need a little more time. This won’t be forever.”

“So you want me to just play along with all this?”

Monica frowned more deeply. “I know it’s terrible, but yes. I promise that we’ll get you all out.”

“Well, it’s not like I had any choice anyway.”

“I’ll try to contact you when I can. But I have to get back now. They’re already suspicious of me. Just keep your head down and try to fit in for now. You can drive into town in this car when you’re ready. Everything will be set by the time you get the signal.”

Wanda’s sarcasm bubbled over. “Thank you for making everything so clear.” She glared at Monica, who only shrugged. She felt her aloneness more keenly when Monica drove away though.

Nothing happened for several more hours, so Wanda devoted the time to reading and memorizing the script. She finally dozed off in the back seat.

She woke in the early morning light. She blearily sat up, stretching her limbs and adjusting to the new day. She climbed out of the car and took a small walk around before sinking onto the grass.

Sometime later a small shape flew toward her. As it grew closer, Wanda held her breath. It couldn’t be! But as the figure landed, the only conclusion her mind could come to was that this was truly Vision standing in front of her, in all his crimson glory, eyes just as kind as they had always been.

“Wanda!”

“Vizh!” She jumped into his arms without further preamble. They clutched each other tightly, no other thought than each other’s presence in their minds. But she had to pull away just slightly to finally return the words she wanted to say to him. “I love you.”

“I love you.” He set her down but remained holding her. She leaned against his chest, feeling his synthetic heart beat strongly against her ear. “But, Wanda, I am very confused. When I awoke, there was no battle to be found. Then, someone gave me this note and this package and told me your coordinates. He said to go straight to you and you would explain.”

“I will, Vizh.”

He smiled as he handed her the note and the bundle. She opened it and read it with dawning horror. They wanted her to hide everything from him. She could tell him nothing without invalidating their bargain. It told of a mechanism implanted into Vision that erase everything about him. Vision’s face fell when he saw her reaction. “Wanda, what is wrong?”

She pasted a smile on her face that she knew he would see through immediately. But she had no choice. She placed a hand on his cheek. “I’m so sorry, Vizh.” She entered his mind, and it was done.

They dressed and entered the car that had been reserved for them. Vision opened the passenger door for her. She sat down, trying to suppress her revulsion with her actions. This was the only way.

She pushed back her own memories and was able to smile a real smile at Vision. They drove down the road, cans clanging merrily behind them as they entered a new reality.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm not exactly sure how this story will progress. I don't know if I'm married enough to the idea to continue it if it turns out to be completely wrong. Which it definitely could be.


End file.
